I recently posted an article about Net Neutrality on my Facebook page and was shocked that nobody seemed to care. Then I realized many people still don't know much about Net Neutrality. Certainly, the name is confusing. What does it all mean? When I write, I try to skew towards the simple way of explaining what I am talking about. This is because I have discovered that even when people claim they understand what I mean, I find out later they don't. So what follows is the 'plain speech' version of what Net Neutrality is and why you should care.
What is Net Neutrality? Basically, it's about your ISP (Internet Service Provider) treating all data (for our purposes here, let's just think, every website) on the internet the same. For instance, just imagine a big street full of stores. If you are cruising down this street (the internet) you can enter any store (website) you wish without hinderance. Now introduce tiers of speed - extra fees for websites to have faster speed so customers can get in faster. The result is that when you enter a big store, you get whisked in, ultra fast. But mom and pop stores, who can't afford the extra fees, are stuck with large heavy doors where customers get frustrated trying to tap into their websites.
So you can see what will happen. If you are a start-up with a great idea for a website, you are going to have a tougher time establishing your website because people will not be patient enough to wait for the site to load. Big websites such as Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter will pay the fees for the fast lanes and continue with business as usual. But guess who eventually pays for those fees anyway?
Point a finger to yourself. Yup.
If you think charging websites extra fees for fast lanes is unfair, it is time to speak up!! The FCC is going to vote on this issue May 15 and you should tell them you want to keep the internet fair, equal and open. Send an email to openinternet@fcc.gov. You can also contact all of the FCC commissioners at www.fcc.gov/leadership where you can click underneath each one to send an email. Even easier, go here and sign the petition: www.petitions.moveon.org
Let's support the little guys, the small businesses, the dreamers of the world. You could be the next one.
